Building a safer future: UK government proposals for reform of the building safety regulatory system

• Alastair Soane ^[1]
  1. [1] Structural-Safety
• Localización: The Structural Engineer: journal of the Institution of Structural Engineer, ISSN 1466-5123, Vol. 97, Nº. 7, 2019, págs. 31-33
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • In June 2019, the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published a consultation document1 concerning the changes that it is proposing to improve safety and minimise the risk of fi re in high-rise residential buildings.

    The document provides detailed descriptions of the proposals and invites views via a series of questions.

    There are many areas within the document that are important for structural engineers and, when enshrined in legislation, will aff ect their responsibilities and working practices. The proposals concentrate on highrise residential buildings, but may be expected in future to be expanded to other buildings where a large number of people sleep, or congregate. This article summarises the sections of the consultation that are of particular relevance to structural engineers.

    The Grenfell Tower fi re tragedy of June 2017 showed a need to make major changes and improvements to the building safety system. The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety2, led by Dame Judith Hackitt, found that there are issues in the way some highrise residential buildings are built, managed and looked after. Her review also found that sometimes residents are not confi dent that their buildings are safe and that their concerns are not taken seriously.

    To deal with these issues, and wider problems, there need to be changes to the building safety system. Therefore, the consultation sets out plans to overhaul the system for high-rise residential buildings through:

    clearer responsibilities for those building or managing these buildings a stronger voice in the system and better information for residents greater oversight by regulators tougher enforcement when things go wrong.